Sleepy Ash

Kuro (クロ)  is the deuteragonist of the manga, Servamp. Kuro, named by Mahiru himself, is mainly known as Sleepy Ash and the oldest of the eight Servamps. He hadn't had an Eve for many hundreds of years until Mahiru picked him off the streets one day and accidentally made a contract with him. From that day on, Sleepy Ash listened to the name Kuro.

Appearance
If Kuro is not in his cat form, he has shoulder-length, blue hair with his front bangs reaching his eyes. His eye color is red and he has big, dark bags under them. They are always half-lidded and express a feeling of boredom. Just like any other vampire, he has pointed teeth.Kuro mostly wears a blue jacket which is a tad darker than his hair color with the hood pulled over his head, the black fur looking close to the one of his cat form. He also has a patch on his left shoulder with the Roman numeral 1, probably because he is the oldest of the seven sins. He is wearing the bell Mahiru gave him as their contract symbol around his neck as sometimes seen in official illustrations, which is apart from that mostly hidden under his clothes. His blue jacket is often buttoned open, either a simple black or white shirt hiding under it. On both sides, Kuro has chest pockets. The hem of his jacket splits into many threads, starting short at the front but grow in length as they reach his back. His white pants are skin-tight and held up with a red belt, which is rarely seen. Kuro wears long, black boots that almost reach his knees.

Kuro is actually taller than he seems since he always walks around with a hunched posture and hands in his pockets.

As a cat, Kuro has black fur and red eyes. Around his neck he is wearing Mahiru's bell as a collar with red leather. His tail splits at its end into four, close to the threads at the back of his jacket in his human form.

Personality
Being the Servamp of Sloth, Kuro spends his time sleeping, lazing around or playing video games. He feels no shame in running away to avoid any trouble and refuses to take decisions for he doesn't want anything to be his fault, and he doesn't want to disappoint anyone. Kuro is a pacifist vampire, and rarely drinks Mahiru's blood, most of the time he refuses and drinks only when he is about to fight. He also refuses to turn any humans into vampires to make them his subclasses, saying that they probably didn't want to become vampires, and that vampires shouldn't even exist. He prefers staying at home rather than going out and seems to dislike the changes of temperature, according to him vampires are delicate to this.

History
Not much is said about Kuro's past in the early volumes, but it shows that he has a strong hatred towards the C3, the neutral group. Kuro's inner demon mentions that the C3 brings back bad memories and something happened between them, which he calls the "incident." It is also mentioned that he used to work with them.

When approached with the decision to kill a certain person, the creator of the servamps by the C3, he made the final decision. Kuro decided that they should kill their creator and he would be the one to do it. While Kuro had a conversation with their creator and ultimately killed him he was greatly conflicted on whether it was the right thing to do and this uncertainty haunted him even into the present. He finally confronts his past while turned into a black ball which Mahiru goes into and sees his past and inner demons. While Kuro asks for him to tell him if what he did was right or not, Mahiru tells him that the one who can decide if it was right or not is him.

Story
Kuro is the vampire of Sloth and Servamp of Shirota Mahiru. He is the oldest of the 7 deadly sins, including Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, and the new addition, Melancholy. He can take the form of a black cat or a human. He became the Servamp of Mahiru after Mahiru called him by the name "Kuro" and offered him a bell, and after Kuro drank Mahiru's blood.

The story began when a threat of a new vampire appeared; Tsubaki, vampire of Melancholy. He is a homicidal monster who wants to start a war between vampires and humans. Kuro and Mahiru are trying to gather all the seven true Servamps and their masters to bring down Tsubaki.

Abilities
Transforming Servamp Bond Claws Speed and Flight Endurance Inner Power Jacket Tails
 * Kuro can change into a black cat and into his human form at will. He can also speak when he is in his cat form. But, when he is exposed to sunlight, he automatically reverts back to his cat form. It is later revealed that he can turn into a giant lion.
 * When he drinks Mahiru's blood, the chain connecting them is visible and he appears to become more powerful.
 * He can extend his nails into long, sharp black claws, easily able to cut and skewer people and other vampires.
 * He is shown to have incredible speed and can jump high very easily, also shown that he is able to fly.
 * Since he is immortal, he can't die. But, he heals very quickly and he was still able to fight even when he was stabbed through with a sword and still stood protecting Mahiru when he was being slashed at back and forth by knives. He was also knocked out by being shot at in the back by Envy's barrel gun.
 * When his control of his power was gone, he was much more faster, powerful, and ruthless; also unaware of what he is doing. He was shown beating Berukia, one of Tsubaki's servants, mercilessly. He grabbed Berukia's hair and was about to bite off his neck to kill him, revealing a new set of long, sharp canines, and he would have too if Mahiru hadn't stopped him by pulling on the chain around his neck and Envy knocking him out with his gun. He even hurt Mahiru in the process; grabbing his face with his claws, leaving three thick scratch marks above his right eye, and roughly biting him down on his neck.
 * He can move and use the tails at the end of his jacket to fight.

Shirota Mahiru
​At first, Kuro and Mahiru did not get out on the right foot. Kuro showed that he was unhappy and annoyed that he became the Servamp of Mahiru. He said that they "Mix like oil and water." He is shown to be lazy and does not want to obey his master's orders, which greatly annoys Mahiru. Despite this, they seem to get closer later on in the chapters. In chapter 1, Kuro did not hesitate in jumping in front of Mahiru to protect him from getting stabbed by one of Tsubaki's servants, Berukia, and instead he himself took the blow, even though they weren't bound by a contract yet, and saying he(Mahiru) will be the death of him(Kuro). When Mahiru was hurt and feeling down, Kuro kept suggesting if he wanted to play some video games with him; his own way of cheering him up. Kuro told him if he(Mahiru) was ever sorry he found him, and thinks that he his since Mahiru never answered him; even though Mahiru said after Kuro left that he could never regret meeting Kuro.

It also suggests that Kuro lazes around at school with Mahiru to help Mahiru relax, since Kuro thinks he's a worrywart. They seem to trust each other completely, even said by other characters. When Tsuyuki's co-worker, who were one of the people that held him captive, saw the interactions between Kuro and Mahiru through the monitors, she said "Strange...Sloth seems different now." When she was with Kuro, he was cold and serious, but seeing him joking around and being happy with Mahiru once they reunited, she found it odd. When Kuro and Mahiru were captured by C3, they were put into different rooms for several hours, neither knowing where the other one is.

Since a Servamp and an Eve can't part for too long, the Eve will start feeling hurt all over in six hours, and die eventually in twenty-four hours if not reunited. The C3 captured them to convince them to join them in defeating Tsubaki. Kuro was genuinely worried about Mahiru and looked really pissed off at his kidnappers, only asking about the whereabouts of Mahiru. They gave Kuro the choice of either helping C3, or watching Mahiru suffer. He agreed to help his hated C3 as long as Mahiru was safe. Kuro said the deal was off when Mahiru escaped, who went looking for Kuro. Kuro also threatened them, saying to "Never force him(Mahiru) to do that again," since Mahiru had to use a dangerous amount of power to break out, harming and exhausting himself in the process.

Kuro is shown surprised when Mahiru told him that he trusts him and that he doesn't have to tell him his secrets, that they are partners and that he is always there to help him out. Kuro says that he wants to keep him safe and not get killed. Kuro is always seen flustered and surprised whenever Mahiru calls them partners and friends or shows that he cares.

Kuro always changes the subject by telling a joke, acting like it did not affect him. Also, it shows Kuro's inner demon taunting him, saying that Kuro feels happy, that Mahiru makes him feel good after Mahiru called him his partner; that if Kuro's worried if Mahiru discovers the "incident", will Mahiru loose all the trust in Kuro? Kuro looked angered by this. Over all, Kuro trusts Mahiru and cares for him a lot and will protect him without hesitation and gets genuinely worried about him when he's hurt; Mahiru being the only closest person to him since Kuro was a loner and hasn't had an Eve for years.

When Kuro gets turned into the black ball, Mahiru looks inside and sees his past and the decisions he had to make. It can be assumed Kuro killing their creator was the incident, but Mahiru helps him through it. Though Mahiru feels bad for Kuro after seeing how much he has suffered and kept inside these last centuries, he remains his friend and shows his tremendous trust and friendship to Kuro.

C3
Kuro is shown to have a strong hatred for C3, the neutral group. He even yelled at Mahiru when he suggested if they could get C3's help. Before, when Wrath had an idea on who could help them against Tsubaki, and was about to suggest it to Kuro, Mahiru, and Gluttony, Kuro suddenly tensed up and accidentally spilled his drink. This may indicate that Wrath was about to suggest the help of C3. Also, Kuro had received a letter from C3, asking for his help, but he ignored it. Later on, when Kuro and Mahiru were captured by C3, and were escaping, Kuro's inner demon that controls his power was taunting him by saying that C3 brings back bad memories and that they should trash something up since they both still really hate C3, indicating that Kuro had a past with them. His inner demon also said something about the 'incident' that happened with C3, and that if Mahiru ever find out, would he still trust him? This suggests that something really bad happened between him and the industry.

Tsubaki
Kuro never knew Tsubaki existed to begin with. He barely found at the same time as Mahiru when they had a run-in with him. Tsubaki is the new eighth sin, Melancholy, and youngest of the eight, oldest being Kuro. Tsubaki is shown to be more powerful than Kuro when they were fighting. He is genuinely scared of him. He even told Mahiru to just give up and get out of there as fast as they can.

Quotes

 * "Ahhh...Now you're happy. Silly cat...Mahiru made you feel good...Right? But C3 brings back bad memories. If Mahiru discovers the 'Incident'...Will he still trust you? Are you worried? Mahiru's still a rookie...Happy birthday! You contradict yourself. You keep it all inside. You poor, pathetic boy! While we're at C3...Wanna trash something? After all, we still really hate them! Am I right?" (Kuro's inner demon taunting Kuro.)
 * "What you call simple, I call nagging." (to Mahiru.)
 * "Cat abuser." (to Mahiru)
 * "Paranoia's not my thing...Unlike you. Why look for trouble?"  (to Mahiru)
 * "Look at me guys...My cuteness will calm you..." (to the arguing Misono and Mahiru)
 * "Are you ever sorry...you found me...?" (to Mahiru)
 * "The pain! Wish I could die...But I can't." (Kuro complaining after escaping Tsubaki)
 * "Well, that's that! You are my master." (to Mahiru after drinking his blood, completing the contract)
 * "You'll...be the death of me." (to Mahiru after being stabbed to protect Mahiru)
 * "You are such a pain..." (to Mahiru)
 * "Close that! I hate sunlight..." (to Mahiru)
 * "I'm just your friendly neighborhood vampire." (to Mahiru)
 * "Humans are soo cruel...Meanie!" (to Mahiru)
 * "But the sun will kill me! Okay, I'm immortal. But still! Meeow!" (to Mahiru)
 * "We mix like oil and water." (to Mahiru)
 * "Reeeowr! Shame on you! Sucking up your cute little pet!" (Kuro complaining after Mahiru used the vacuum on him)
 * "Vampires don't age...Plus, I have a baby face." (Kuro to Mahiru)
 * "She hit me with a broom..." (Kuro to Mahiru after taking out the trash)
 * "Owww! The agony! An apple juice might help! Or a cola..." (to Mahiru)
 * "You read too much manga." (to Mahiru)
 * "Yes mommy..." (Kuro teasing Mahiru)
 * "Me want ramen! Yumm..." (to Mahiru)
 * "I follow your sign. If cancer gets bad news, I wanna know. And protect myself!" (to Mahiru)
 * "You always give one hundred and ten percent...that's way too much. Sit down." (to Mahiru who kept helping everyone who needed it)
 * "And never force  him(Mahiru) to do that again." (Kuro threatening the C3 employees after Mahiru had to use a dangerous amount of power to break out, causing Mahiru harm in the process)
 * "Where's Mahiru?" (Kuro to the C3 employees, mad that he was apart from Mahiru, putting Mahiru in danger)
 * "Housewife." (Kuro teasing Mahiru)
 * "Aww...It's okay. I just say, 'He told me to do it.' Free will is overrated." (to one of Berukia about Mahiru)
 * "Mahiru...do you trust me?" (to Mahiru)
 * "I have...lots...of them. But...I...can't tell you. Some things you shouldn't know. Some things...could kill you." (to Mahiru after he asked if he had anymore secrets)

Trivia

 * "Kuro" (クロ) literally translates into "black"
 * His favorite food is instant ramen and potato chips (with bouillon flavor)
 * His favorite ice cream flavor is cookie-and-cream
 * He dislikes the sound of the alarm clock and the vacuum cleaner
 * His hobbies are playing video games and looking for a comfortable pillow
 * His favorite color is black
 * In official illustrations Kuro is often drawn in both his cat and human form
 * His catch phrase is 「めんどくせー」 (mendokuse) which roughly translates into "what a pain"
 * Kuro is also often shown in Chibi style (when he's in human form)
 * He hates vanilla ice-cream
 * He has a hatred for the C3
 * Kuro is the oldest of the 7 servamps (8 including Tsubaki)
 * He claims to dislike drinking blood from Mahiru
 * He is scared of his youngest sibling, Tsubaki
 * He is Sloth, and his other siblings are, from oldest to youngest: Pride, Envy, Wrath, Greed, Gluttony, Lust, and Melancholy
 * He is known as Kuro, Sleepy Ash, and Sloth
 * He cares a lot about Mahiru even when he doesn't show it and gets genuinely worried and mad when he is forced apart from Mahiru, putting Mahiru in danger
 * Kuro becomes happy whenever Mahiru calls them partners
 * In his cat form, a lot of girls at Mahiru's school find him adorable and sometimes dress him up in girly outfits
 * He hates sunlight
 * He is worried about losing Mahiru's trust
 * Whenever Kuro really has to drink Mahiru's blood, he always does it in his cat form and bites him on the arm or leg, never his neck
 * Kuro rarely drinks blood, and when offered, he rejects the idea or makes an excuse, preferring to eat junk food instead; the reason is unknown yet
 * He has a patch on his left shoulder with the Roman numeral 1, probably because he is the oldest of the seven deadly sins; Snow Lily also has a patch on his left shoulder with the Roman numeral 7.